Enbridge received approval to place a dredge pad at Benteler Industries, which sits to the north of the lake at 9000 E. Michigan Ave. Spokeswoman Lorraine Little said the company hopes to begin work setting up the dredge pad in March and should have their work completed by late summer.

"We absolutely appreciate all the work and effort the planning commission put into the meeting as far as listening and taking their time," Little said Tuesday.

Comstock Township Supervisor Ann Nieuwenhuis said the approval is contingent on two conditions. The first is that Enbridge utilizes a truck route that doesn't require the use of the intersection at Michigan Avenue and Kings Highway since commissioners felt the intersection was too busy to accommodate an additional 200 trucks per day that will be transporting contaminated sediment from the site to an approved landfill.

The second condition is that Enbridge sets up air quality control monitors in the nearby Fleetwood Neighborhood in addition to the dredge site, something Nieuwenhuis said a few residents expressed concerns about since the neighborhood sits to the east of the dredging location.

Enbridge representatives will go before the planning commission again on Feb. 27 to show they have taken steps to meet these requirements. If commissioners are comfortable with the progress, they will give the plan final approval.

Nieuwenhuis said she is confident Enbridge will be able to meet these conditions.

Little expressed similar optimism that Enbridge would receive final approval at the next meeting.

"The conditions were very doable," Little said.

If approved, the plan requires that Enbridge be finished with its work and have the site remediated by Nov. 30, Nieuwenhuis said.

"(Enbridge) said they could be done by the end of August, so the planning commission thought it was enough time if they set the deadline 90 days past that date," the supervisor said.

Completing this work will allow Enbridge to complete the U.S. EPA's March 2013 order to do additional dredging of the Kalamazoo River following the massive 2010 oil spill. The EPA had set a deadline for the work to be completed by Dec. 31, but Enbridge was unable to dredge Morrow Lake, citing issues securing a dredging location in Comstock Township.

At an informational meeting for township residents last week, Enbridge Vice President of Operations Rich Adams said they were seeking to remove 35,000 cubic yards of dredged sediment from Morrow Lake during this operatino.

Since its first site was approved, Enbridge will no longer go before the planning commission later this month to discuss it's backup location north of M-96 near 33rd Street.

While work will begin this spring, Adams said he is unsure if the EPA is still considering enforcement action against Enbridge for missing its dredging deadline.

Alex Mitchell covers county government and taxes for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Email him at amitche5@mlive.com. Follow him on Twitter.